A large proportion (some estimates are as high as twenty-five percent) of the electricity generated in the United States each year goes to lighting. Accordingly, there is an ongoing need to provide light fixtures (1) which are easier to install, (2) which reduce the possibility of injury during installation, repair, maintenance, replacement and/or removal, and/or (3) which make it possible for the light fixture to be held more securely in place.
In addition, with the growing popularity of lighting devices which include solid state light emitters (e.g., light emitting diodes), there is an increasing demand for light fixtures (and components thereof) which facilitate the use of such lighting devices while maximizing the benefits obtained from using such lighting devices and minimizing or eliminating any drawbacks from using such lighting devices.
One particular type of light fixture is known as a lay-in luminaire, or a troffer. The lensed troffer is the most popular lay-in sold today. It is a commodity that is sold for use in applications where price is the primary buying consideration. For many decades, the recessed parabolic was the standard for high performance applications such as offices. The “parabolic” style troffer utilizes aluminum baffles to shield the light and maximize high angle shielding while sacrificing light on the walls. In recent years, the market has been moving away from the parabolics towards with broader distributions for high performance applications.
Efforts have been ongoing to develop ways by which solid state light emitters can be used in place of incandescent lights, fluorescent lights and other light-generating devices in a wide variety of applications. In addition, where light emitting diodes (or other solid state light emitters) are already being used, efforts are ongoing to provide light emitting diodes (or other solid state light emitters) which are improved, e.g., with respect to energy efficiency, color rendering index (CRI Ra), contrast, efficacy (lm/W), cost and/or duration of service.